The present invention relates to a transportation device for transporting sausage-shaped products, like sausages, with suspension elements, like loops, from a clipping machine to a handling device.
In particular, the present invention relates to a transportation device for transporting sausage-shaped products, like sausages, with suspension elements, like loops, from a clipping machine to a handling device for said sausage-shaped products like a storage device including a bar-shaped storing element, like a smoking rod. The transportation device comprises a conveying unit for conveying a sausage-shaped product just produced out of the clipping machine in a transportation direction and a catching unit for catching the suspension element attached to one end of the sausage-shaped product. The transportation device further comprises a guide unit for guiding the suspension element caught by the catching unit to said handling device. The guide device comprises a longitudinally extending guide element and supporting means for supporting the guide element, wherein the supporting means provide a passage way for the loop to be guided along the guide element.
In the practice, it is known that, for example in the production of sausage-shaped products, like sausages, a filling material is fed by a filling machine through a filling tube of a clipping machine into a tubular casing material, which is stored on the filling tube and which is closed at its front end, referred to the feeding direction, by a closing clip. The tubular casing material is pulled-off from the filling tube while being filled. After a predetermined volume of filling material is filled into said tubular casing material, a displacement device with a first and a second pair of displacement elements forms a plait-like portion of the tubular casing material and the clipping machine places and closes at least one closing clip at the plait-like portion forming the back end of the sausage shaped product by respective closing tools which are reversibly movable towards the plait-like portion. After that the sausage-shaped product just produced, is separated from the remaining casing material by a knife or the like of a cutting device of the clipping machine and is transferred to a storage device or another machine for the next producing step.
From DE patent 38 06 467, an apparatus for producing sausages, and transferring said sausages to a storage device, in particular to a smoking rod, is known. The device for discharging the sausage just produced out of the clipping machine and transferring said sausage to the smoking rod of said known apparatus includes a sword having a first or tip end directed towards the clipping machine, for catching the suspension loop attached to said sausage, as well as a second end opposite to the tip end. Moreover, there is provided a chain conveyor for transferring the sausages hanging on the sword to a smoking rod. A belt conveyor carries the sausage just produced out of the clipping machine, whereby the suspension loop is shifted along the sword. For holding the sword in position, and for enabling the suspension loop passing the sword, said sword is held by pistons laterally engaging the sword. For allowing the suspension loop to pass the pistons, said pistons can alternately be disengaged from the sword.
For a trouble-free operation, a complex control of said apparatus is necessary, like coordinating the movement of the pistons with the transportation speed of the belt conveyor and the production rate of the clipping machine. Moreover, said pistons may not be moved at a high speed, thereby limiting the maximum production rate of the clipping machine.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transportation device for transporting sausage-shaped products from a clipping machine to a handling device with which the above mentioned drawbacks are overcome and which enables a save transfer or transportation, respectively, of said sausage-shaped products from said clipping machine to said handling device.
The aforesaid object is achieved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous configurations of the clipping machine are described in claims 2 to 9.